Mere Mortals Conversations

What does it really take to build a cult brand? Andrew Taylor, founder of Live Co, returns to share the uncomfortable truth: belief beats noise, community beats clout, and data beats feelings. We dig into 300% growth in a year, the Ultra Fit hat that solved a real problem, why followers/likes don’t matter, and his “push it till it breaks” method…

Is Juan about to create the newest version of LOTR or Gorillaz? In Episode #493 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: the origins of various types of lore, how these worlds are constructed with varying degrees of complexity and interactivity, hard versus soft world building, a creator's control over the narrative, how modern technology and platforms…

What's the current day equivalent of lead, radiation, asbestos or cigarettes? In Episode #492 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: hidden dangers in our environment that can significantly shorten our lifespan, whether you can do anything to avoid things like microplastics, how 'Bad Science' shows media & exaggerated information is unhelpful for…

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the…

Juan didn't disappoint with his wacky, hair-brained ideas .... that he won't be able to protect! In Episode #491 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: a day in the life of the year 2100, the potential for cities to become the new countries, multigenerational housing as life expectancy increases, human-AI symbiosis plus normalised AI babies, humans…

Time for Giga big brain ideas on the future of content creation. In Episode #490 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: how creators can monetise their work without diverging into unrelated business ventures, the distinction between spending and investing in creators, why images, audio, and video will be monetised via new technologies in the coming…

How did Juan go last year and what's he got his focus on? In Episode #489 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: his past year's achievements, the evolution from having numerous goals to focusing on fewer, why he wants to run a marathon (but not necessarily with people), expanding his mind with grand business ideas, filling up his soul by establishing…

Call it what you want (Malthusian trap, prisoner dilemma, race to the bottom, coordination failure, tragedy of the commons), the problems are real! In Episode #488 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the concept of the Moloch problem (a philosophical idea that explores the unintended consequences of competitive behaviour), over-scheduling children's…

It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the…

In this episode, I explore the profound concept of hyperobjects, entities so vast they surpass our understanding and how recognising their presence can lead to mental clarity. I dive deep into the idea that life’s overwhelming nature isn’t always due to complexity, but our relationship to that complexity. By reframing calmness as a conscious…